


'Til the End of Time

by Zenith_Lux



Series: Through the Ashes [7]
Category: Devil May Cry
Genre: Existential Crisis over Flowers, F/M, Fluffy!Angst, Heart to Hearts all around., Or Angsty!Fluff, Post Blazing Tempest, Vergil's Fatherly Instincts kicking in, mentions of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-08
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2021-01-25 09:40:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21354175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenith_Lux/pseuds/Zenith_Lux
Summary: Five months after the birth of the twins, both Kyrie and Vergil's wife are still tired and on edge, struggling with an uncertain future. But when Kyrie and Nico decide to throw a wedding at Vergil’s expense, all of them find a reason to be happy, despite the sadness still tugging on their hearts.
Relationships: Kyrie & Vergil (Devil May Cry), Kyrie/Nero (Devil May Cry), Vergil (Devil May Cry)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Through the Ashes [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1477619
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	'Til the End of Time

**Author's Note:**

> Bit of fluffy/angst here, but I love it to bits T_T
> 
> Timeline wise, this takes place after Solitude and Solidarity (but before its three year gap) and before Back to the Basics. I'll reorganize it all in the series (hopefully) to make sense. 
> 
> Next week is Dadgil week! So I'll have at least one (maybe two) stories up for that. See you then, and hope you enjoy!

If Ashira heard the word wedding one more time, she was going to rip somebody’s head off. A demon’s, of course, she wasn’t a monster. But Nico was dangerously close to crossing that line and oblivious as always. 

“It’s simple!” Nico said with a girn. “You and Verge have been together for what… three years now? A wedding would be lots of fun! Especially with everything that happened a few months ago.”

Ashira side-eyed a nearby demon. But it was dead already, thanks to her husband, who was out of the van and not dealing with this nonsense. “You just want a reason to party.”

Nico sighed. “Trust me, Shy. If our family wants to party, they’ll find a way.”

“Then find another reason.”

“Why are you so against it?”

To be honest, Ashira didn’t completely know herself. For all intents and purposes, she and Vergil were already married. They didn’t need some fancy ceremony or validation for it. They just... Were. Demons were a lot simpler in that regard. Mates in one world, spouses in the other. It was all the same. 

A part of her knew that she was being stubborn about it. But Ashira was tired. She had been that way for weeks. Months even. Since the surgery and the Phoenix and the twins. Depression, Kyrie had called it. Ashira wasn’t sure why. Life was fine. She and Vergil were closer than ever. The twins were healthy. Her power was fine and more controlled than it had been in years. There was really nothing she thought she should be sad about. 

But the world itself was exhausting. People talked too loud. Time moved too quickly some days, but at a snail’s pace on others. She wished she could just keep going on missions with Vergil and their familiars, something that was more commonplace since she became a “full-fledged half-demon”. It was easy to forget everything with them. 

But his family needed his attention too. So here she stayed, wandering the streets in Nico’s van, listening to the woman attempt to plan Ashira’s own, unneeded wedding.

“Kyrie’s been really worried you know.” Nico said quietly.

“Don’t bring her into this.” Ashira muttered. For she could never say no to Kyrie. Nor could Vergil for that matter. She made a mental note to keep Vergil away from Nero until this all blew over. That man would agree to anything if his son asked nicely enough. 

“She just wants you to be happy, Shy.”

“I don’t need a wedding to be happy.”

“But it would be a day just for you.” Nico said. 

“Takes two to get married.”

“Yeah but the wedding is the bride’s day.” Nico’s eyes seemed to glitter. The van drifted to the left.

“Nico.” Ashira said as she spotted two souls in front of her.

“You’ll get to wear a nice dress and have everyone fawn all over you.”

“Nico.” The souls were getting closer.

“And Vergil will have to concede the entire day to you…”

“Nico!” 

The woman slammed on the breaks. Ashira teleported out toward the souls, scaring both away. The van skidded to a stop so close to her that the breeze it caused snapped by her. Ashira sighed. “Just in time…” She muttered. Shadow appeared at her feet, growling in pure irritation. Griffon, who had been surveying for them the entire time, landed on Ashira’s head. “Watch the road!” He snapped. “You could’ve killed someone.”

“What are those people doing here anyway?” Nico said.

“Does it matter?” Griffin said.

“I didn’t see ‘em!”

“You were still going to hit their car.”

Ashira was not surprised in the slightest when Vergil blinked into existence. “What…” He trailed off, glancing at the van. His face twisted into a scowl, and Ashira was certain it was at Nico. “What are you doing?”

“I got… distracted.” She said. 

“Distracted.”

“It’s fine.” Ashira said. “Nico being Nico.”

At least the wedding discussion was over, especially when Nero arrived and chewed Nico out after Griffon blurted what had happened. But Vergil was giving her that look. The one he used when he knew something was bothering her, but didn’t want anyone around them to notice. That half frown with a worried-but-not-actually-because-I’m-Vergil look in his eyes. “I’m fine.” She said. “Just… the usual.”

_ Tired  _ is what she meant, and she saw his subtle nod.  _ Good.  _ She knew they couldn’t  _ quite  _ share thoughts yet, but they would get there eventually. 

“Alright, alright!” Nico said. “I know I messed up. But that’s not important right now.”

“What?” Nero said. “This is…”

“I need your answer, Shy!” She said. “Kyrie and I can start planning everything tonight.” 

Ashira wanted to cry, and she didn’t know why. Vergil’s head tilted. “Nico I’ve told you…”

“We’ll have Nero babysit the kids so we can go pick your dress.”

“It doesn’t…”

“Then we’ll head to the flower garden so you can pick all your colors.”

“Nico…”

“And I know a perfect photographer that will bring everything together.”

“What’s the point?” Ashira snapped. “In case you’ve forgotten. I’m  _ blind.  _ No picture, or flowers, or dress, or wedding in the world is going to change that.” She felt her demon growling beneath her skin, pushing her emotions farther than she wanted. 

“We’re just trying to help you…”

“If you really wanted to make me feel better, then you would have already let this go.”

Silence fell around her before she realized how loud she had been. Frustrated and beyond the point of caring, Ashira turned away from them all as both Griffon and Shadow moved out beside her. 

“Shy wait.”

Ashira said nothing as she triggered, swallowed her emotions, and flew away.

* * *

Vergil found Ashira on the far edge of Redgrave, staring over the Qliphoth dead zone in her Phoenix form. Griffon was flying somewhere above her, maybe watching out for Nico. Shadow was a good distance away, and watched him as he landed on the roof and slipped out of his devil form. He wasn’t surprised when she didn’t do the same, nor did he blame her. Things were easier to deal with while transformed. Demons didn’t care about complicated emotions or annoying friends or technicalities. But she had been triggering more often lately, and he knew it was draining her more than she cared to admit. 

Honestly, Vergil just wanted to see her smile again. Ophelia had yet to clear her for anything beyond triggers and minor demon fights to control her excess demon power. He’d stayed nearby as much as possible, just in case, but they hadn’t had a chance to be intimate in a long time. And he knew that bothered her. Not because they couldn’t, but because it was a reminder of what she no longer had. 

Of course, neither of them told anyone else about it. Kyrie knew. The two had a special connection after Ashira’s power saved Kaiden, but no one else did. All of them assumed she had simply been sick and that was the end of it. But Vergil knew what they had lost, and how much she mourned it, whether she was aware of it or otherwise. 

“Shira.” He said as he stepped up beside her and ran his fingers along the feathers of her neck. Ashira’s head shifted slightly to look at him, but she said nothing. “You are upset.”

She hummed.  _ “Seems so.” _

“Do you know why?” A question she asked him once and awhile. His hesitation was less emotions and more an inability to express what he was thinking. Hers was genuine confusion as her human emotions often tangled with her new, more powerful demon half. 

_ “I have an idea.” _

“It’s not the idea of a wedding.”

_ “No.” _

“Or your lack of sight.”

_ “... not entirely.” _

Vergil shifted his hand to her beak, pulling it gently to face him. Her glassy eyes were brighter in this form, but she almost seemed to be staring straight through him, lost in thought.  _ “You’ve seen my dreams.”  _ She said.  _ “Better than I have.” _

“Not always.”

_ “Why am I so upset?” _

“You are mourning.”

_ “I shouldn’t be.” _

“I believe you are the one who encourages me to embrace my feelings.” He heard a soft chuckle from somewhere within her. When she blinked, her eyes met his. “Does that not apply to you?”

There was a soft sigh.  _ “I’m trying, Vergil. But…” _

“I know.” He said. “It’s alright.”

She sighed.  _ “A wedding though. Seems…”  _ She trailed off. 

Vergil was silent for a long moment. A part of him agreed. Neither of them were interested in hosting some grand party for something they had already acknowledged. Kyrie’s wedding had been a whirlwind of plans within plans and appointment after appointment. And he’d been able to avoid most of them, but he was certain that wouldn’t happen a second time. Nero alone would probably drag him around and demand he “be more involved in his own wedding”. And all of it would end uncomfortably standing in front of people they didn’t know, paraded around for who knows how long. Then, they’d both be forced into the center of an adult centric party with lots of alcohol he had no interest in and awkward dancing she’d rather avoid.

But Ashira hadn’t had a day just for her. They didn’t have a day just for them, for that matter. They’d never celebrated a birthday (he made a mental note to never tell Dante about that or he’d probably get impaled). Nero had asked about their anniversary once or twice, and Vergil had never had a direct answer. They just… lived their life and worked with what they had. 

_ “What do you want, Saina?” _

A million different thoughts crossed Vergil’s mind as he brushed at the feathers on her cheek. “I want you to be happy.” He said finally. That wasn’t the most dramatic thought in his head, but it was the simplest. Her head tilted, and he saw her soul flicker in surprise. Had he not told her this recently? Maybe not outloud. Vergil didn’t always remember what thoughts he kept to himself and what he expressed to her. So, he took a slow, deep breath, and continued. “What happened with you,” he paused. “With us, does not change who you are.” Her feathers ruffled, but she said nothing. “Nor does it change how I feel.”

She lifted her head to stare out over the horizon for a moment. A single tear dropped from her feathers. Then, she let her devil form go and landed in his arms with a quiet sniffle. “Why does it still haunt me?”

He pulled her close. “You’re recovering.” He said. “It’ll take some time.”

A pulse of demonic energy hit him from a good distance away. “It appears that Nero is on his way.” He said. Ashira sighed, pushed her face into his vest for a few seconds, then pulled away. She didn’t smile, but she was calm. When Nero landed on the rooftop, neither of them were surprised. “What is it?” Vergil said.

“Kyrie asked me to show you this.” Nero said as he dropped his devil form and held out a piece of paper. It took Vergil a second to realize it was a photograph from Kyrie’s wedding. One of him and Ashira seconds after they had let go of the lantern. Surprised, he looked up. “When did you get this?”

“Our photographer is practically a ninja.” Nero said. “Got plenty of shots like that of everybody.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “But that’s not the point.”

“Then why…”

“Shy can see what you’re holding, right?”

Vergil blinked. Had they told anyone about that? Not as far as he could remember. A confused pulse from Ashira’s soul told him she didn’t remember that either. Nero seemed to notice Vergil’s bewilderment, for he said “Kyrie picked up on it a few months ago when she saw you guys reading a book to the kids.”

_ Ah.  _ Vergil and Ashira had spent a good amount of time at Nero’s house since the twins were born, both to help Kyrie and to make sure the kids were okay. (Or dote on them, as Ashira called it, but Vergil stubbornly said they were simply keeping guard). Angelica was enamored with Vergil, and would fall asleep if he simply held her. But Kaiden was more complicated. He needed Ashira (and usually a feather) to calm down. So, the two had developed a solution for them both. A single book, split between them. Vergil would read until Angelica fell asleep, and Ashira would translate the rest in her Phoenix language until Kaiden followed. 

Vergil hadn’t realized they’d been caught. And by Kyrie, no less. 

“It’s complicated.” Vergil said. “She can see items, yes, but not anything around me.”

“Can she see you?”

“Yes. And the familiars.”

Nero whistled. “That’s handy.”

“Yes but…”

“Show her that.” 

Vergil blinked again (how did his son surprise him so easily? It was honestly quite absurd) before turning to Ashira. She stepped up without a word, and peered down at it. For a long moment, she said nothing. Vergil felt her soul lurch in a mixture of shock and happiness. Shakily, she reached for it. Prickles of tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. “It’s beautiful.” She murmured. “I didn’t realize how…” her breath caught on her words. “Why did I never consider pictures?”

Vergil didn’t know, as he hadn’t thought of it either. “I know Nico came on a little strong.” Nero said. Vergil appreciated how his son was speaking slowly. Not as if he was speaking to a wounded animal, but clearly making an effort to say the right thing. “Even I wouldn’t have agreed to that nonsense.” He shook his head. “But the idea wasn’t to throw some wild party.” Vergil almost snorted, and Nero chuckled. “Though I’m sure something will happen knowing our family.”

“Then why…?” Ashira said.

“Kyrie wants to make you a scrapbook.” Nero said. “She didn’t want me to tell you but… well… here we are.” 

“A… scrapbook?”

Nero nodded. “She’s already started with pictures from our wedding, some candid shots Nico’s gotten from devil hunting, the camping trip, the twins…” He trailed off. “The wedding was her idea.”

Ashira’s eyes closed. “I didn’t…”

“Nah.” Nero said. “Nico asked ya all wrong.”

She looked up at Vergil, and her eyes were the brightest he had seen them in a long time. So, with a small smirk and a tilt of his head, he said, “Is the idea of marrying me so terrible that you’d go to such lengths to avoid it?”

She stared at him. Then, she burst into genuine laughter. The sound was music to his ears. Even Griffon swooped down to land on her shoulder and peck at her cheek. “Wow.” He said. “I thought Princess forgot how to laugh.”

Vergil scowled at him, but Ashira wiped away a tear and scratched at the bird’s beak. “I did as well.” She sent the bird away and took Vergil’s hand and kissed his cheek, despite the fact that Nero was standing four feet away. Vergil realized he didn’t care as she finally gave him a small, but undeniable smile. “If you’re willing.” 

He nodded, squeezing her hand gently before looking back to Nero. “I’ll leave it up to you, then.”

Nero grinned. “I won’t let you down.” 

* * *

Three weeks went by, and Vergil might have forgotten about the entire conversation if Nico hadn’t almost run him over. Nero had jumped in the way of that one, digging his claws into the van before the woman ended up killing herself on the debris in the streets. Or destroying the van by colliding with Vergil.

Honestly, he had no idea how Nico had managed to live this long.

“Dammit, Nico.” Nero said. 

“Don’t worry, devil-boy!” She yelled as she hopped out of the car with a literal pile of photographs in her hand. “Need V-man’s help.” 

Vergil stabbed through a demon that attempted to ambush him ( _ Foolish creature)  _ before raising an eyebrow. “For… what exactly?”

Ashira hopped out of the passenger seat, sheepish. Her hand ran along the van to keep her from running into it. Shadow hopped up on a rock for a brief moment, and disappeared after Ashira made it around. “I told her to wait.” She said. “But you know Nico.”

Nico held the photographs up with a grin. “Hold these. One at a time.”

Nero rolled his eyes. “I’ll deal with the demons.” He said as he walked away with a dismissive wave. Once Vergil heard him start yelling at Dante ( _ “How can you be this slow? I could have killed those assholes faster in my sleep…)  _ He looked back to Nico. “And they are…?”

“Dresses!” She said, shoving them into his hands. “And no peeking.”

He glanced at Ashira whose face had turned a crimson red. “I’ve already suffered through it.” She said. “This is but a small sacrifice for you.”

“... I see.” He said with a shake of his head. But he held them up nonetheless, surprised at how difficult it was to not just look at them himself. Why? He wasn’t an impatient person. Maybe it was just the idea of Ashira in something other than his coat…

He quickly looked away to avoid Nico’s gaze. Ashira didn’t react, absorbed in the pictures. Every few seconds, Nico would say some version of “nope” and rip the picture out of his hands. Ashira’s expression stayed relatively the same. Every once and awhile, her eyes would narrow, or her frown would deepen, which was always followed by a “no way” by Nico and another photo jammed into her pocket. And it went like that for awhile, photo after photo. Vergil couldn’t imagine how long it had taken for Ashira to try on every, single dress Nico was showing her now. “Did you enjoy yourself?” He said, glancing at Ashira. 

Her eyes flickered to him, amused. “I… suppose?”

“Stop distracting her.” Nico said with a glare.

Vergil rolled his eyes. Ashira laughed quietly before looking back to the pictures. It was close to the end when her eyes widened in surprise. Nico looked at her, then back at the picture, then back at her. “Shy?” Ashira’s mouth opened for a moment, but closed when she found nothing to say. Nico grinned as she threw her fist into the air. “That’s the one!” She ripped the rest of the photos from Vergil’s grasp - he’d almost forgotten to let her as distracted as he was by Ashira - and practically dragged his wife back to the van. “Thanks V-man!” She yelled back. “Now we’ll have to pick the crown.”

The horror that crossed Ashira’s face made him chuckle. “Good luck.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t think that’s gonna help.”

* * *

Two weeks later, Vergil was surprised to find a text from Kyrie. 

Apparently she was trying to be discreet about the whole thing. Nero was with the kids. Nico had taken Ashira on yet another appointment, this time to pay for the wedding cake. Vergil had been dragged into the initial meeting for that one, as it was much easier to hold sketches than take a million pictures and have her look at them later. Though that, at least, had been moderately enjoyable, as they had been by themselves for the most part. Ashira had poured through endless photographs of previous wedding cakes, and he had been rather surprised to find himself as invested in the whole thing as she was. Granted, Nero had demanded that Vergil at least pretend to enjoy himself (“It lasts like an hour, you can get through it”). But then he and Ashira had gotten into a heated discussion with the baker about dragon wings and feathers and somehow that had ended in a cake design so grand that even Nico had been impressed. 

Of course that now meant they would  _ have  _ to throw a party to have any chance of getting rid of it within the next century. But they would cross that bridge when they got to it. 

But this particular trip surprised him, as Kyrie had invited him to a flower shop.

He remembered Nero mentioning something about flowers during his own wedding. The two had apparently debated on it for hours, trying to decide between Roses, Lilies and something called a Sweet Pea. As far as Vergil remembered, they hadn’t actually gone with any of those. But he was the last person who should be flower shopping. But his daughter-in-law waved him over with a smile so genuine that he couldn’t help but sigh and follow her inside. 

“Thank you for coming.” She said as her eyes wandered the greenhouse. This particular flower shop was massive with a full greenhouse on one side, and the actual shop itself on the other. Vergil was convinced demons were involved in some capacity, as he had heard rumors of flowers growing completely out of season and seemingly within a few days, but he had nothing to back it up. “I have a bunch of ideas, but I wanted to talk to you first.” She stopped by a pile of blue roses and took a deep breath with a grin. “It smells so nice in here.”

He might have agreed, but his demon senses were more overwhelmed than anything. Not unbearably so. He was long past the days when the smells of the human world bothered him. But there were at least 100 different flowers and the fragrances all just blended together. “What exactly can  _ I  _ help with?”

“We’ve decided on a blue and gold theme for obvious reasons.” Kyrie said as she moved onto the next set of flowers. “Most of the decorations are taken care of. Blue table cloths, golden centerpieces with faux feathers and scales, things like that.” She hummed to herself as she peered at another set of light blue flowers. “But I don’t want anything that will bother Ashira.” 

“Don’t worry about her sight.” Vergil said. “She’s refined it enough that the colors don’t blur anymore.”

Kyrie sighed in relief. “I was wondering how that worked.”

“She sees people’s souls, as well as colors of living things without them.” He said. “That’s a rough way to explain it, anyway.”

“So she’ll see the flowers?”

“She won’t see a defined shape.”

“I’ll make sure to take lots of pictures.” She said. “Should I avoid strong smells?”

“One isn’t an issue.”

“Got it.” She was practically glowing now, wandering through the rows of flowers with Vergil a respectful distance behind. He was half surprised that his brother wasn’t here, considering Nero was busy. They all trusted him now (as far as he knew), but he’d never been alone with Kyrie. He tried not to feel too awkward about it, as this entire trip was more for Ashira than either of them, but it was still a bit strange. 

If Kyrie felt the same way, she wasn’t showing it. “I’m glad you guys are happy here.” She said, her voice quiet. Vergil sensed she was thinking of something much deeper. But he said nothing as she selected a mixture of dark and light blue flowers. Uncertain if he should ask what she was thinking, Vergil stayed back, pretending to examine other flowers that were in no way related to the wedding. 

“Have you considered travelling?”

Vergil glanced at her. “Not particularly.” 

“Nero and I thought about it ourselves a few years ago.” Kyrie said. “We go out once and awhile, but not very far. We’re too invested in the orphanage to leave for too long. And now with the twins,” she laughed. “No vacations for us any time soon.”

“Ashira and I could always help out.”

Kyrie grinned, but shook her head. “How much of the world have you seen, Mr. Vergil?”

He paused. “Not much.” He said honestly. After the loss of his family, Vergil had spent most of his years in or around Fortuna. Travelling was a luxury he couldn’t afford, nor was he interested in. He’d seen plenty of the Underworld, some against his will, but he’d read more about the human world than he’d actually seen. 

“And Shy hasn’t either, right”

“Correct.”

“So why don’t you two go on a tour?”

“A… tour?”

“Yep!” Kyrie handed him an array of flowers before wandering toward the yellow ones. “You might enjoy travelling like us humans do.” She chuckled. “Before we became foster parents, when Dante was back and could take care of the demon hunting for awhile, Nero and I went on a three week tour across the ocean.” She sighed with nostalgia. “It was beautiful, Mr. Vergil. Seeing all those different sights and learning about the history and the culture…” Her eyes were glittering now. Nero had mentioned Kyrie’s passion for history, but Vergil had never heard her speak of it. “Of course you’ll have to take a lot of pictures for Shy, but I think you’d enjoy yourselves.”

Vergil said nothing, as he wasn’t sure how to respond. Kyrie, unbothered, began humming one of the songs she had been singing to the children.  _ Travelling.  _ The idea hadn’t even crossed Vergil’s mind. His family was here. Their lives revolved around the demons in Redgrave, the apartment in Corona, and the Fortuna household. Now that the twins had been born…

“If you’re worried about Angel and Kai,” Kyrie said. “Nero and I are happy to figure it out as we go.”

Again, Vergil said nothing, because a sudden realization actually silenced him.  _ I don’t know anymore about raising demon children then they do.  _ In fact, Vergil thought he knew even  _ less  _ than them, as they had at least been around human children. “Kaiden needs Shira.” He said. 

“Maybe.” Kyrie said. “But there are a million ways for you guys to make it back with ease.” Her eyes flickered to Yamato for the briefest of moments before returning to the flowers. “I’m not asking you to leave forever, but you should take time for yourselves too.” 

“We have plenty of time.” Vergil said.

“The world is always changing.”

_ True.  _ He thought. “I can’t imagine.” Kyrie continued. 

“Travelling?”

“No…” She trailed off as she turned toward him with a new set of flowers. “Knowing that you’ll live for so long.” She pressed her lips together, clearly trying to process what she was thinking. “So many lifetimes. Watching people live and grow and pass away. Or seeing how cities grow and change or fall apart.” She dropped to one knee to cup a full bloomed lily in her hands. “Does it ever… scare you?”

He sat down on a bench across from her, contemplating. “I have known of my… immortality since I was a child. But I do think about it from time to time.” He closed his eyes for a brief moment, but he doubted she even noticed. “When I was younger, I convinced myself I would be happier alone, especially with my father’s power. Now…”

“You can’t imagine it without your family?”

Slowly, he nodded. “I imagine I would feel very empty.”

“Would you go back to the Underworld?” Kyrie said. “If you were alone?”

“I do not believe that is possible for me.”

“Going back?”

“Being alone.” He corrected. “But if it was… I can’t honestly say no.” He looked down at his hands as thoughts of Mundus flickered unwanted through his mind. “The power of the Qliphoth would be all I have left. Though I doubt I would live very long.”

“Do you get to choose?”

Vergil thought he was starting to understand why she was asking these questions, but he didn’t want to push her. “Theoretically, all demons can choose when they die, half-breed or otherwise. I’ve learned over the years that it doesn’t matter how much demonic blood one has. It’s existence alone gives an extended life-span. Most of us can be killed, but stronger demons like myself, Dante…” he paused to meet her gaze “Nero and Shira would have to decide when it’s time to pass on.” 

“And the twins?”

“Likely the same. This is especially true for Kaiden. But it’s difficult to say with them so young.” He tried to relax his posture, but with over a dozen flowers in his hands and the fact that his back refused to do anything but remain stiff as a board, he failed rather spectacularly. Nonetheless, he gave her his full attention. “What is on your mind?”

Kyrie was quiet as she stood, lily in hand. After a bit, she came and sat on the opposite side of the bench, staring at the flower. “I’ve known for a long time that Nero will outlive me.” She said. “And I used to worry about what would happen to him once I’m gone. But after a while... I just stopped thinking about it.”

“Then the twins…”

She nodded. “At first I thought I would be scared. Not for them, but for myself. I thought seeing them grow so fast and learn their demonic powers and all that would remind me too much of my own impending end.”

Flowers still in hand, Vergil shifted toward her. Fatherly instincts, he supposed. “You’re still young.” He said. “Don’t let a future that’s still so far prevent you from enjoying the present.”

She smiled at that. “I’m not scared for myself, Mr. Vergil. Not anymore.” She looked up toward the ceiling. “I think of everyone that has to live after I’m gone.” Her face flushed suddenly as her eyes snapped to him. “I don’t mean that in a selfish way!” She said suddenly. “I mean more like…”

“You hope they have lives they want to keep living.”

Kyrie blinked. “Yes I...” She sighed. “I’m afraid. Afraid that everyone will be so attached to our little corner of the universe that if something were to happen, no one would know how to move on. And something will inevitably happen, whether we’re ready for it or not.”

“Shira and I have spoken of travel before.” He said. “A long time ago.”  _ They want me to find other reavers.  _ She had once said, but nothing had ever come of it. Protecting his family was more important. But how long did they wait? How long did Vergil stand by and watch over his son before he addressed the issues he and Ashira had been avoiding for years? Even with Yamato… he would be leaving them. 

“Don’t worry about us.” Kyrie said. 

“Nero won’t like the idea.”

“He wants you to have your own life, too.” Kyrie said. “I think he’d be relieved to see you start enjoying it sooner rather than later.”

“Kyrie…”

“I’m fine.” She said. “I’m happy. Healthy. A demonic, talking snake visits me every day to keep me from getting sick ever again. Ophelia said I might even live a bit longer than the average human.” She chuckled, but her face fell again. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t really planned on talking to you now but…”

“You said what you needed to say.” He said. “Never be ashamed of that.”

“Promise me you’ll talk to Shy?”

The sincerity in her eyes was so strong that Vergil could only nod. Kyrie beamed at him as she leapt to her feet. “Would you like to see the bouquet? I helped make it myself!” Again, Vergil only nodded as she seemed to skip away, free of her burdens for the first time in… 

_ Months.  _ Vergil thought.  _ Not since the birth.  _

He’d felt it with Ashira. Her sadness. Her questions about the future and her fears of change. Hearing similar things from Kyrie… it was more than enough to make him think. To make him understand the important things. 

“I’ll talk to her.” He said, surprising her. “After the wedding.”

She grinned back at him. “I’ll speak to Nero for you.” 

* * *

The day of the wedding, after being involved in almost every step of the planning, Ashira had no idea what to expect. She had seen pictures of things, but didn’t know how it all came together. Even her own dress felt heavier than she expected it to, and it took Kyrie promising that Nico hadn’t messed with it before Ashira realized she was legitimately nervous. 

_ Why?  _

How could she possibly be nervous to marry her own husband?

_ What am I doing? _

She was alone in a room somewhere, as Kyrie and Nico had left to set everything else up. At some point in the last however long, as she had no sense of time in this bubble, she had begun staring at the tether. It was tempting to just pull on it now and have Vergil whisk her away. She didn’t know what they would do. Ophelia had made her promise to wait one more week before doing anything else. But they wouldn’t be here. And, in the moment, that seemed preferable to whatever she was about to walk blindly into. 

But Kyrie and the others had put so much work into this. And Vergil was actually  _ there. _ Waiting and willing and going through with it. Even Griffon and Shadow were off somewhere, as Kyrie had promised them a part in the ceremony. Only V had remained behind at Ashira’s request, as she wasn’t quite ready to be alone.

“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower.” He said. “Hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour.”

“If I were more clever, I would send you to him with a poem.”

“Nero would catch on.” V said as he wagged his finger. “No contact until everything is ready.”

“Except with his human self. That’s totally fine.”

“Technicalities.” V shrugged. “You’ll not be waiting for much longer.”

“Where will you be?”

“Wherever you wish.”

She looked away. “How strange would it be to ask you to be your own groomsmen?”

He chuckled. “No different than asking me to watch over my own self’s wife on her wedding day.” He paused. “That sounds strange when put that way, isn’t it?”

She snorted, but a knock at the door stopped that conversation. Kyrie entered a moment later, and V excused himself and disappeared. “Everyone’s ready.” She said. “Remember what we’re doing first? Pictures. Then ceremony, then…” She lowered her voice with what Ashira imagined was a cheesy grin. “Then I’ll come rescue you both.”

Kyrie laughed and Ashira felt her hand on her shoulder. “Nero told Vergil that if he didn’t show his emotions when he sees you, that Nero’s going to knock him senseless when this is all over.”

Ashira giggled. “That won’t go well for either of them.”

Kyrie helped her up, placing a bouquet of some kind (blue and gold, or so she’d been told) into her hands. A moment later, she felt Kyrie lifting the train of her dress. “Ready?” 

Ashira nodded and let Kyrie lead her carefully down the stairs and into the ballroom where the reception would be held. Nico and Nero had taken care of all of that. All they had to do was the obligatory first dance and then Kyrie would smuggle them out as everyone else flooded the dance floor and made a mess of everything. From that there was the lobby, but Kyrie directed her away from the murmurs of the early guests. The actual ceremony was outside, as they had been blessed apparently with a beautiful day that was so rare they had changed plans completely on the fly and set it all up within a number of hours. As Ashira caught the smell of flowers Vergil had told her about, Kyrie coaxed her further away. Now she was unequivocally lost, but trusted her friend all the same. 

Eventually, they turned another corner and her breath caught in her throat. She was surrounded by the souls of her friends and her two familiars hovering nearby, but her eyes were glued to the back of her husband. Nero was with him, a distraction, clearly. And Vergil was letting himself fall for it, as everyone else would likely maul him if he didn’t. “Here comes the bride!” Dante yelled. “About damn…” 

Ashira heard the smack of a hand on his arm. “Kid friendly!” Lady snapped. 

“What? The kids aren’t even…”

Ashira tuned him out as Kyrie eased her forward. She saw Vergil twitch, and silently praised him for such self control, but she felt herself blushing all the same. He looked handsome, even looking away. Hair slicked back as perfectly as always. Blue suit that fit with such perfection she wondered if he’d been hiding that in their closest somewhere. 

Ashira froze, suddenly self-conscious as she imagined those piercing blue eyes staring directly at her… in this dress… that she hadn’t seen since the day Nico bought it. What would he even think? Why was she here again? This was such a...

“Don’t worry.” Kyrie whispered. “You look beautiful.” 

Ashira swallowed her anxiety and took a deep breath. She assumed Nero gave his father some kind of signal as he wandered back to the group. Kyrie nudged Ashira’s shoulder, and she was surprised to find herself walking forward in the soft grass (thank whomever that she had vehemently shot down Nico’s demand that she wear high heels). Kyrie stopped her a few feet away from Vergil, and she felt her messing around with the train ( _ need good pictures!)  _ before she finally stepped away. “All yours, Mr. Vergil!” 

Ashira’s heart was pounding in her ears. “Well…” She said quietly. “I…” 

She lost her voice when he turned around. His eyes actually widened just a bit, and even that was more than she was expecting. But she felt something between them. An emotion from him that she couldn’t quite put into words. “Vergil…?”

Her voice retreated a second time when his fingers intertwined with hers and his hand brushed her cheek . And, for the first time, he ignored their audience completely and kissed her. She vaguely heard some kind of cheer, but it didn’t matter when his hands slid around her and leaned her back just enough that her hand (and bouquet in it) dropped to her side. When he pulled away, it was so slight that she felt his breath on her lips and his forehead pressed to hers. Nothing needed to be said, and Ashira nearly burst into tears. 

_ It was all worth it.  _ She thought.  _ For this moment alone. _

She swore she heard him hum in agreement. 

* * *

Everything else went off - shockingly - without a hitch. Even Dante maintained a modicum of respect and self control throughout it all. He stood in the groomsman line with a goofy grin on his face. Vergil could handle that, and was deeply grateful that the minister Kyrie requested had actually followed through. He couldn’t imagine what Dante would say if he were the one directing it all. 

Ashira would probably have killed him. And Vergil likely would have let her.

As everyone else moved to the reception hall, Kyrie led them both away, expensive camera in hand, as Griffon held Ashira’s train in his talons. It took awhile, but she eventually led them to a small stairwell about as far away from the party as humanly possible. “No worries if you don’t want to join us.” Kyrie said as she draped Ashira’s train and veil at a comfortable angle. “I’ll keep them distracted.” She hugged Ashira before handing Vergil the camera and leaving with a wave. Griffon vanished, but Shadow curled herself up on the rest of Ashira’s dress and fell asleep. 

Vergil hadn’t noticed a cameraman during the ceremony, but he had been understandably distracted. “Those flowers are beautiful.” Ashira whispered as he paused on a picture of her bouquet. And he had to agree. The dark blue roses were made of silk, and mixed with large, white tiger lillies speckled with blue. The whole thing shimmered, and there were small feathers of gold sprinkled throughout. “Kyrie planned this well.” She leaned in eagerly, her arm wrapped around his own. “What else?”

He kept cycling through, genuinely curious. There were pictures of the reception tables with the homemade centerpieces; three jars painted dark blue with candles on top. White table cloths. Blue and gold flowers on the back of every chair. Next picture showed the lights mingled with fabric hanging in waves from the ceiling and toward a golden chandelier. After that were all the bridesmaids and groomsmen. The women in knee length, matching blue dresses holding white and gold bouquets. The men in gray suits with matching blue ties. His own a dark blue. All perfectly planned, just for them. 

“She did.” He agreed. 

After cycling through hundreds of pictures of everything under the sun, he stopped on the very last one. The “reaction shot” as Nero called it. Or, more accurately, the kiss that followed. 

Vergil still wasn’t sure what had possessed him to do something so intimate in front of everyone. They’d gone to great lengths to avoid that since settling in the human world. Between Dante and Nico’s teasing and Nero’s unspoken embarrassment, both he and Ashira thought it better to keep their personal life to themselves. 

But seeing her in that dress… in his completely unbiased opinion, it was more beautiful than Kyrie’s had been. Her sweetheart neckline had long lace sleeves with delicately sewn roses. The white, satin was accented by a shimmering, blue belt at her waist, and the fabric fell perfectly from there with small hints of glitter on the top layer. He didn’t even mind the rather ridiculously long train. In the picture, Kyrie had laid it perfectly behind her, like a river of silk leading straight to his beautiful wife. 

_ After all that I’ve done… the world still gave me you. _

“Vergil?”

He blinked. How long had he been staring at her instead of the camera? 

_ It doesn’t matter.  _

He kissed her again. It was more gentle than they probably both wanted, but it was all either could manage at the moment.  _ One more week.  _ Ophelia had told them. They might have delayed this wedding if that timeline was certain. For now, he was content with this. A moment between them. It had been such a long time since they had taken any for themselves. Ironic that it took wedding party to finally find some peace and quiet.

“Hey.” 

Both looked up to see an uncharacteristically embarrassed Nico twitching with a box in her hands. “I don’t mean to interrupt… well I kind of do.” She chuckled. “I won’t keep you long.” She cleared her throat. “So all of this has me thinking. And I felt really bad for all the arguing. So I thought maybe I could help you out. I wasn’t sure how but… well it took some time.” She held the package out toward them as if it were seconds from exploding. When Vergil grabbed it, she took a large step backwards. “I know the whole point of this was to give you pictures to look at,” She said. “But I thought I could make ya something even better.”

Inside were two pairs of glasses. The lens were thin and seemingly transparent, though Vergil’s keen eyesight realized it was made of some type of crystal. The frames were black and the glasses themselves were light. Ashira stared at them, confused. “Glasses?”

“So, Nero made a devil arm of that crystal girl, right? Mira?” Nico said. “Well, he was able to call her back for a little bit, with Dante’s help, and she gave me a generous amount of crystals to work with. Nero and I tried a bunch of things out and I think we finally did it.” Her nervous smile widened with excitement. “Try it?”

Ashira glanced at Vergil before slowly putting them on. For a brief moment, she said nothing. Just blinked. Once. Twice. A third time. Nico was practically bouncing with nervous energy. “Well?” She said. “What’cha think?”

Then, Ashira burst into tears.

Startled, Vergil reached for her hand. “Is it…” His voice trailed off as she drew her hands along her dress and stared at her bouquet with wide eyes. Then, they snapped up to him, and he froze. She’d cried before around him - she was much more comfortable with her emotions than him - but this was such a conflicting wave of emotions he didn’t know what to do. 

“I can see.” She whispered. “Four years… Four years and I…” 

She buried her face into his suit and wept. He glanced at Nico, but the woman was already walking away. So, Vergil wrapped his arms around his wife and gently kissed her forehead. Pure happiness swept through the tether, and he couldn’t help but smile.


End file.
